SuperSite Blog : Media Center

Major Update to Windows 7 Media Center: Netflix, Internet TV, More

pthurrott — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:02:35 GMT

Brian Staton dropped me a note just now, letting me know that the version of Windows Media Center in Windows 7 has gotten a significant update today, with the addition of Netflix and a new version of the Internet TV functionality, the latter of which has all kinds of new content, including great TV shows, Zune video podcasts, and more. It's an excellent update, from what I can tell so far, and I will have a short, more formal write-up about this later in the week. Check it out if you're using Windows 7!

Thanks Brian.

Microsoft removes CableCARD limitations in Windows Media Center

pthurrott — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:29:08 GMT

Now we're talking! As part of a wider press release around the CEDIA trade show this week, Microsoft announced that it was removing a particularly onerous requirement around Windows Media Center that, until now, required customers to purchase a PC with CableCARD built-in if they wanted to take advantage of that technology. Well, no more (at least in Windows 7)!

End Customers Can Now Add Digital Cable Tuners With CableCARD to Their PCs

Microsoft and CableLabs announced that customers will now be able to add digital cable tuners with CableCARD to a Windows 7-based PC with Windows Media Center. A new tool will be provided by Microsoft that assesses the PC’s ability to support the solution. This tool will analyze the customer’s PC and enable digital cable support if the PC meets requirements, opening digital cable options to Windows Media Center customers across the country. Microsoft also announced that, with Windows 7, it has increased the number of TV tuners that can be connected to the PC from two to four per tuner type, thereby allowing customers to simultaneously record or watch as many as four digital cable TV channels.

“We are excited that digital cable customers will now be able to take advantage of this new opportunity to bring great cable TV programming to the PC,” said So Vang, vice president of OpenCable at CableLabs. “We are dedicated to helping customers get the most from their cable service, and this will be a great win for both the customer and the cable operators.”

Good stuff. I'm not sure if this is enough to save Media Center, but I'm certainly eager to check this out.

Netflix comes to Windows Media Center

pthurrott — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:36:21 GMT

I was literally just wondering about this in the course of writing about Media Center for Windows 7 Secrets (and I couldn't get any of the third party Netflix plug-ins to work with the Media Center version in Windows 7). From Microsoft:

As part of ongoing efforts to make Windows Media Center the best place to experience TV on the PC, we wanted to give you a heads up on the newest content addition to Windows Media Center: Netflix. Available today are more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes that can be watched instantly on any PC with Windows Media Center, which is included with Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate, and you’ll be able to search the entire Netflix library, manage your instant and DVD Queues and even filter searches by titles that are available to watch instantly.

To get started, simply click on the green button under the Start menu, and select the new Netflix tile under TV+Movies.
With the availability of Netflix in Windows Media Center, we’re building on our broader vision to alleviate the need to jump from Web site to Web site to find the TV shows, movies, sports and news that you want to watch. With Windows Media Center, you can now find it in one place - with a consistent experience.

You can also check out our latest TV On Your PC blog post that includes some broader discussion points, an animated video that provides an overview of the Netflix application features, and a Man on the Street video that we made which gauges peoples thoughts on how they like to receive their content and why.

More info...

Netflix in Windows Media Center (Microsoft)

TV on Your PC blog post (Microsoft PR)

Windows Media Center web site

So it doesn't appear to work in the Windows 7 RC (I'm sure it will be there eventually), but it's up in Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate.

RadioTime: Radio in Windows Media Center

pthurrott — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 20:39:12 GMT

Here's a cool add-on for Windows Media Center that lets you access FM radio stations from around the world via their Internet stations or your FM tuner...

Your Onscreen Guide to Radio

Browse RadioTime with Windows Media Center!

Get unlimited FREE access to thousands of DJs and on-air personalities
from your zip code and around the world! Listen to internet radio or local FM stations.

It appears to work in Windows 7 by the way.

Thanks to Adwait K. for the tip.

Media Center momentum

pthurrott — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:29:35 GMT

Microsoft just sent me a little tidbit about Media Center "momentum" at CES. While this type of thing wouldn't normally be of much interest, the bit about Media Center evolution--past, present, and future--is absolutely worth a look. I feel like Media Center has been stuck in a rut for a while, so it's nice to see them finally highlighting it again.

Windows Media Center was a key focus of the entertainment and Connected TV message for Windows 7 during Wednesday's Keynote.

Also, would encourage you to check out this new video that was just released summing up the Evolution of Windows Media Center” – past, present and future.

Now, for CES 2009:

CES is the first consumer showcase of Windows Media Center in Windows 7.

Windows 7 includes a number of enhancements for Windows Media Center, including the new Electronic Program Guide (EPG), which gives you all of your internet TV in one place

Windows Media Center in Windows 7 also delivers choice in how you interact with your PC, highlighted by HP TouchSmart UI and features such as Turbo Scroll

The ability to access Windows 7 content almost anywhere with PlayTo functionality

Momentum: We’re at an exciting juncture for connected TV experiences, and people are increasingly going to Windows Media Center to watch TV on the PC:

Nearly 10 million unique users are regularly using Windows Media Center in any given month.

Each session is averaging nearly 90 minutes – that’s a huge number when you compare it to other Internet-based TV applications and far exceeds the traditional “snacking” of online content.

New Windows Media Center Platform Support

o Toshiba joined the growing support from major CE companies enabling Windows Media Center experiences to extend to the TV by announcing they will integrate Extenders for Window Media Center technology into a series of TVs, LCD/DVD combo products and standalone network players, along with the "Widget Channel" backed by Intel and Yahoo! Click here for the press release.

Stream H.264-MP4/M4V/M4A from Windows Media Player 11 to Playstation 3 & Xbox 360

pthurrott — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:36:05 GMT

This should be of interest to Digital Media fans. I've been trying to work through the incompatibility issues with H.264 in native Vista apps. This might just fix most of it. From Red Herring:

This registry patch will tie MP4/M4V/M4A files into Windows Media Player [WMP11] and Windows Media Center [WMC] allowing them to play this file type but also stream from WMP11 these file types to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 However there are caveats as it is not possible to tie a third party codec 100% into WMP without developing some sort of plug-in. Also available are patches for Flac, M2TS and MKV/MKA. I have moved M2TS off into it's own entry to keep it separate if you are looking for it click that M2TS link.

This process is compatible with 32/64-bit Windows XP/Vista with WMP11 present, Windows Home Server if WMP11 is installed should work as well. I would recommend though it is not necessary that you create a system restore point before applying these just so you have a point to return too.

Finally check out my H.264 video encoding guide for the Xbox 360/Playstation 3 as it will generate a compatible H.264 video & it covers pretty much all you need to know plus the limitations peculiar to each console though I primarily focus on cross compatibility in the guide. Also Windows media center extenders have the same H.264 profile as the Xbox 360.

Thanks Michiel

Amazon launches On Demand video service

pthurrott — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:19:13 GMT

Amazon PR:

Amazon.com today announced that customers can now instantly watch ad-free movies and television shows on Macs or PCs with Amazon Video On Demand, Amazon's digital video service offering thousands of movies and television shows. Previously, customers could only download titles and watch them on a PC (using the Amazon Unbox application) or on their TiVo box. Now customers can either watch instantly within their web browser or download using the Unbox application and watch anytime. Additionally, customers can now rent or purchase Amazon Video On Demand movies and TV shows directly through Sony's BRAVIA Internet Video Link device on compatible BRAVIA(R) television sets (currently in beta).

Starting today, to make it even easier for customers to decide whether they want to rent or purchase a title, the first two minutes of every movie and TV show automatically plays for free as soon as they visit the product detail page. At any time during the free viewing period, customers can choose to purchase or rent the title to watch it in its entirety. Once a customer orders a video, it is automatically added to Your Video Library. With the new Your Video Library, customers can access and stream their Amazon videos through popular web browsers on Macs and PCs. Customers can also access Your Video Library through the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link device on their compatible Sony BRAVIA televisions.

Amazon Video On Demand, operated by Amazon Digital Services, Inc., is the only U.S. digital video service that gives customers the choice to stream or download premium movies and TV shows. With over 40,000 licensed movies and TV shows, customers can now watch on their Mac, PC, Sony BRAVIA TV, TiVo box, Windows Media Center extender devices such as Xbox 360, and portable media players. The Amazon Unbox Video Player will remain as the client application for downloaded content, allowing customers to watch purchased content on their computer when they are not connected to the Internet or transfer it to a portable media player. With Fall TV starting in early September, Amazon Video On Demand will have a full selection of the most popular returning and new shows, including pilots, premieres, and full episodes.

So this is surprisingly good. If you're familiar with the Netflix "Watch Instantly" service, compared and contrast: Amazon On Demand doesn't require a monthly fee, works with all Web browsers (Windows and Mac, and not just IE 6 or 7, as with Netflix), and has four times the content. That said, all of Netflix's content is available for online viewing (or via a device like the Roku Netflix box) as long as you're an active subscriber.

What I really like about Amazon's service, however, is that most of the TV and movie content I've purchased from Unbox previously is now available for instant streaming from any Web-connected PC. That's cool, and for people on the road a lot, this kind of thing is really useful.

Microsoft confirms that Fiji is a joke

pthurrott — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 20:59:11 GMT

Mary Jo Foley finally convinced Microsoft to come clean on Fiji, the thoroughly uninteresting Media Center update. Here’s what they told her (emphasis mine):

On July 16th, 2008, Microsoft released an update to the version of Windows Media Center included with Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate to our OEM partners - this update is referred to as the “Windows Media Center TV Pack”. In order to ensure that users get the best experience possible, this update will only be available from OEMs, as they are best positioned to provide the testing and hardware configurations for a great customer experience. This is due to the fact that in some geographies there are specific technical and hardware requirements for the Windows Media Center TV Pack that are best handled by the OEMs. We are working closely with our OEM partners as they finalize their decisions on Windows Media Center TV Pack products.

The Windows Media Center TV Pack is primarily targeted at adding support for additional international broadcast standards including:

Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting – Terrestrial (ISDB-T) Digital television standard for Japan

Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite (DVB-S) free-to-air satellite standards in Europe Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial (DVB-T) digital television with improved user experience in Europe

ClearQAM (Unencrypted Digital Cable)in the United States

Interactive television with integrated Broadcast Markup language (BML) in Japan and Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group (MHEG) (MHEG5) in Europe

This version does not include native support for subscription-based satellite tuners or the H.264 video standard. We test many features in beta releases, and optimize our feature set in the final code for the best user experience.

We do want the Windows Media Center community to know that Microsoft will continue to improve upon the Windows Media Center experience for our customers worldwide, by adding content partnerships and enhanced features. We will share these developments as they become available.

Bored yet? Join the club.

Microsoft finalizes Fiji

pthurrott — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:57:08 GMT

Mary Jo Foley reports that the under-tested and underwhelming Fiji update to Windows Vista Media Center has been completed. Hopefully the 6 or 7 people who tested it did a thorough job.

Microsoft is done testing “Fiji,” its update to Windows Media Center and is preparing to release the product — officially known as “Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008.”

Microsoft notified testers that it had RTM’d (released to manufacturing) Fiji on July 17, according to testers who requested anonymity. From the alleged release note:

“Fiji, officially known as Windows Media Center TV Pack 2008, has Released! The input from Self Host testers has been invaluable to this product and the team would like to thank each of you for your bug reports and feedback.

“As the release team is taking a much needed break, our next focus will be to post the final build onto the Products servers. Please check the newsgroups for updates. Once the build is live, we will notify you.

“-Windows Media Center-”

According to one Fiji tester:

“The (Fiji) release going to be OEM only on new machines. They have not been testing any upgrade scenarios whatsoever — even when they were at RC (Release Candidate) 0. Did they not watch the whole Ultimate Extras debacle? They put Media Center on millions of PCs thru Home Premium, and then give them all the shaft?”

CinemaNow now available through Windows Media Center

pthurrott — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:08:00 GMT

From Microsoft via email:

CinemaNow’s library of over 3,400 feature-length movies is now available through Windows Media Center. This means that you can download and watch “Sweeney Todd” or “Juno” tonight, without a cable TV subscription. All you need is Windows Media Center, which you may already have if you’ve recently purchased or upgraded your computer with Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate. These movies are available right now through a new Online Media channel in Windows Media Center that provides access to CinemaNow, an online service that offers downloadable movies, TV shows and music videos.

CinemaNow has a library of over 3,400 feature-length movies, including major Hollywood studio and independent movies, and even HD-quality movies. The library includes Pay-Per-View and Download-to-Own movies, new release and catalog favorites, with titles available day-and-date of retail DVD release. Additionally, the library contains more than 3,000 TV episodes and over 2,900 music videos. Windows Media Center offers an easy way to browse CinemaNow’s library; in addition, it gives you the ability to watch CinemaNow content on your television via an Extender for Windows Media Center.

Windows Media Center is included in Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate, which make up the majority of the 140 million Windows Vista-based computers licensed worldwide. Windows Media Center turns your PC into a home entertainment system by providing easy access to all of your digital media, including your home movies, music, and photos. If you have TV tuner for your PC, you can also watch live and recorded TV using Windows Media Center’s electronic program guide. Extenders for Windows Media Center can stream this digital media to your television, offering a great way to watch downloaded TV and movies from CinemaNow on your television.

In addition to CinemaNow, Windows Media Center offers a variety of video content available on-demand. For more information, check out www.WindowsMediaCenter.com and www.CinemaNow.com.

More information:

CinemaNow offers a variety of services now available through Windows Media Center:

· Download-to-own: Hollywood movies, popular TV shows, and music videos are available for purchase, providing an unlimited viewing period on up to 3 devices. Download-to-own movies are priced from $9.99 to $19.99; TV shows and music videos are priced at $1.99. Download-to-Own movies are available day-and-date of retail DVD release.

· Pay-Per-View: Hollywood movies are available for purchase, providing customers a 24 hour window to watch the video. As with all CinemaNow downloads, customers can start watching in minutes or download the file and watch it anytime, anywhere. Pay-Per-View movies are priced between $2.99 and $3.99. Select Pay-Per-View titles are available day-and-date of retail DVD release.

· Burn-to-DVD: Enables customers to legally download a DVD, play it back on their PC, and burn a copy to a blank DVD disc. The disc can then be played in virtually any DVD player with full remote control navigation and access to all of the special features. Burn-to-DVD movies are priced from $8.99 to $14.99.

In addition to CinemaNow, Windows Media Center delivers a variety of TV and video content to millions of consumers:

· TV – Consumers can watch both live and recorded TV in Windows Media Center. A variety of TV options are supported, including broadcast over-the-air NTSC and ATSC, analog digital cable and satellite, all with a no-charge Program Guide.

· Internet TV Beta– Internet TV Beta is a U.S. offering within Windows Media Center that allows consumers to choose from more than 100 hours of TV entertainment, music concerts, movie trailers, news, and sports content, and you don’t even need a TV Tuner to watch it. Consumers can watch Internet TV Beta full-screen on their Windows Media Center PC or use Extenders for Windows Media Center to watch it on their TV.

· Online Media – Online Media gives users access to a variety of digital media, including sports news and statistics from Fox Sports, XM Radio, HSN Vision, and Showtime TV. Online Media also provides the ability to browse through top stories from NPR, Reuters and other news outlets, allowing users to quickly catch up on the day’s top stories. There are also several Windows Media Center add-ons available from the providers, which allow you to watch NetFlix, YouTube videos or check the weather, to mention just a few of the services available from Online Media services partners.

· Movies – In addition to CinemaNow, Windows Media Center provides access to Starz Entertainment’s VONGO and MovieLink, which are additional premium movie and TV downloading services. Digital home movies can also be easily accessed through Windows Media Center and watched on a television via an Extender for Windows Media Center.

Media Center 'Fiji' = Windows Vista Media Center Feature Pack 2008

pthurrott — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:52:58 GMT

I put this on the front page the other day to see if anyone noticed, but no one did. Not coincidentally, Mary Jo Foley turned up yesterday with a post about beta testing of Fiji, a long-awaited Media Center update:

there’s been no word in ages from Microsoft about “Fiji,” the next version of Windows Media Center Edition.

But that isn’t because Fiji has evaporated. In fact, the Fiji beta began a few weeks ago, according to a few sources with whom I’ve spoken and who’ve asked to keep their identities under wraps.

It’s not clear how many testers are part of this current test phase. There’s also no word on when and if Microsoft is going to tap the many other Fiji testers whom the company has signed up over the past year-plus or when Microsoft expects Fiji — also known as “Media Center Edition +1″ in some circles — is due out.

Actually, it's not called "Media Center Edition +1." (That would be Vista Home Premium, wouldn't it?) It's called Windows Vista Media Center Feature Pack 2008. And it should include a completion of the user interface makeover that Microsoft began working on in the Vista version of Media Center, though the initial beta is alarmingly identical to the UI for the shipping version of Vista Media Center.

Expect Windows Vista Media Center Feature Pack 2008 later this year. October 1 or so.

Zune VideoX: Microsoft’s iTunes killer?

pthurrott — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:37:44 GMT

This comes at an interesting time for me, as I've been updating the Windows Vista Secrets book for Service Pack 1 and am adding a bunch of material on related technologies, including a chapter on Zune. Like many, I'd sort of written Zune off, mostly because they seem to go into deep hibernation mode every year after releasing a new product version and never seem to ship any decent updates. But the Zune is a solid product now and is certainly attractive, especially the PC software. And it occurred to me, again, in writing about the Zune, that what it really lacks is a video content solution (TV shows, movies).

Anyway, today, Mary Jo Foley offers up some hopeful news about what might be happening there. For the record, Joe B. is a great guy and had a lot to do with the success of Media Center as a product. So I hope this is true.

Zune Marketplace is no iTunes killer. But maybe Zune VideoX will (at least attempt to) be.

I’m getting word of yet another Microsoft entertainment marketplace, known currently as “Zune Video X” (for Video Experience).

One of the main movers and shakers behind the initiative is said to be Joe Belfiore. Corporate vice president of the Entertainment and Devices eHome Division. Belfiore was responsible for “development, business management and marketing of Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition and related devices, including Media Center Extender and the Media Center DVR,” last anyone heard of him. As Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter Todd Bishop noted today, Belfiore is rumored to be working on something Zune-related now.)

Zune VideoX is not Zune Marketplace revisited, sources say. Instead, it is Microsoft’s attempt to apply the lessons learned with the success of the Xbox Live Marketplace to the Zune market, said one source who asked not to be named. It would be a single hub where Zune users could buy and download music, videos, TV shows and more entertainment content.

The only thing I can add to this is that I do know the Media Center guys essentially took a year off to work on, yes, the UI for Zune 2.0. This explains a few things, I think, including why the "Fiji" update to Media Center was delayed.

Netflix Plugin for Windows Media Center

pthurrott — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:14:00 GMT

I use Blockbuster, not Netflix, but this looks like a great Media Center plug-in:

If you're a Netflix subscriber, you definitely going to want Andrew Park's new plug-in for the Vista version of Windows Media Center called MyNetflix. The plug-in lets link up to your Netflix account, view your queue, browse for movies, add movies to your queue, and, of course, watch movies! Using Netflix's streaming service, you can watch movies immediately, without having to wait for discs to come in the mail. Because the plugin relies on certain software in order to work, this only works on Media Center PCs, not extenders (like the Xbox 360) unless you have your PC hooked directly to your TV or have a Netflix "Watch-Now" enabled set top box, which will be out later this year. The plugin is in beta and is available for download here.

October 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista

pthurrott — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 23:17:00 GMT

Microsoft:

Microsoft has released the October 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista. This update rollup is intended for computers that are running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate.

In addition to the fixes that are contained in the updates that are listed in the "Hotfix replacement information" section, the October 2007 Cumulative Update for Media Center for Windows Vista resolves the following issues:
Several issues that are related to the Media Center Extensibility Platform.

An issue that affects digital cable card components when you use Scientific Atlanta cable cards.

Interaction issues that occur between Media Center PC and Microsoft Xbox 360 when Xbox 360 is used as a Media Center Extender.

Autolaunch issues that occur with video CD (VCD) media.

TiVo updates Series 3, HD DVRs

pthurrott — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:18:00 GMT

I'm continually surprised that TiVo isn't enjoying some kind of Apple-esque success right now. They're certainly firing on all cylinders. Here's the latest advance:

TiVo, the creator of and leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the new availability of several exciting feature upgrades and product support for TiVo Series 3 and TiVo HD customers. The news includes the availability of external storage (E-SATA) from Western Digital, the introduction of Multi-Room Viewing and TiVoToGo availability and the new feature of progressive downloads - all for Series 3 and TIVo HD subscribers.
E-SATA

The My DVR Expander external hard drive is capable of storing up to 600 hours of standard-definition (SD) or up to 65 hours of high-definition (HD) television programming based on 500 GB of hard drive storage.
This is current the only TiVo Verified external storage device.
The My DVR Expander is compatible with both TiVo HD and TiVo Series3 DVRs.
WD's My DVR Expander external hard drive is available now in the United States from Best Buy retail stores and by ordering online from TiVo.com/store.
MSRP for the My DVR Expander drive with 500 GB is $199.99 USD.

Multi Room Viewing (MRV)
MRV allows you to transfer programming between TiVo DVRs.
It now includes support for Series3 and TiVo HD DVRs, meaning you can share shows between Series2, Series3, and TiVo HD boxes.
Only SD recordings may be sent from a Series3/TiVo HD to a Series2.
TiVoToGo
TiVo HD and Series 3 users can now enjoy TiVoToGo functionality.
TiVoToGo™ transfers are available to all networked TiVo DVRs. This service enhancement allows users to transfer programs from a TiVo box to a desktop or laptop PC.
Using TiVo Desktop software for Windows or Roxio Toast 8 or Popcorn 3 for Mac OS, TiVo subscribers can now transfer recordings from their Series 3 and TiVo HD boxes for playback, DVD burning, or converting to portable device formats on personal computers.
Progressive Downloads
The progressive download feature gives TiVo subscribers the ability to watch TiVoCast content while it is still downloading, including Amazon UnBox on TiVo.
When a download begins, the TiVo box checks the speed of the download, and calculates whether you can begin playback. If the download speed is going faster than playback speed, it will let users start playback immediately.
If the download is slower, it will wait until users have enough of the program "buffered" on disk to be able to play it from start to finish without hitting the end of the buffer, and then let you start playback.

And not to be a jerk about it, but compare all the TiVo-related announcements this year with the relative silence on the Media Center front. We heard about new Media Center Extenders and... that's it. Yawn.